Floor scrubber



Oct. 30, 1962 D. c. KRAMMES 3,060,484

' FLOOR SCRUBBER Filed Sept. 11, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,D. c. KRAMMES3,060,484

FLOOR SCRUBBER Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 30, 1962 Filed Sept. 11, 1958Oct. 30, 1962 D. c. KRAMMES 3,060,434

FLOOR SCRUBBER Filed Sept. 11, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.3

United rates hatent t.

3,660,484 Patented Get. 30, 1952 fire 3,060,484 FLOOR SCRUBBER Don C.Krammes, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Sept. 11, 1953, Ser. No. 760,348Claims. (Cl. 15-320) The present invention relates to a surface cleaningappliance and more particularly to a tank in a floor scrubber fordispensing a clean detergent solution onto a surface and collectingdirty detergent solution removed from the surface being cleaned.

An object of the invention is to provide a dual functional tank for usein a iloor scrubber and which includes a collapsible receptacle forclean detergent solution disposed within a rigid receptacle forcollecting dirty detergent solution. Another object is to provide afloor scrubber with a dual functional tank and valve means for acollapsible receptacle to dispense clean detergent solu tion and also torefill the collapsible receptacle with clean detergent solution. Afurther object is to provide a dual functional tank for a floor scrubberand wherein a rigid receptacle has a top opening to receive dirtydetergent solution and a collapsible receptacle is connected to anopening in the lower end of the rigid receptacle whereby upon upendingthe tank the dirty detergent solution is emptied from the rigidreceptacle and the lower opening exposed for refilling the collapsiblereceptacle. Other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a broken side elevational view, partly in section of a floorscrubber which embodies the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a section of the tank attached to the scrubber and the valvein position to dispense a clean detergent solution,

FIGURE 3 is a section of the dual functional tank removed from thescrubber and the valve in fully opened position for refilling thecollapsible receptacle with clean detergent solution, and

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2.

The invention is disclosed in a floor scrubbing appliance comprising anozzle provided with scrubbing bristles 11 and the nozzle is attached toan upwardly extending wet suction tube 12, the upper end 13 of which isconnected with a bore 14 in a support 15 The bore 14 communicates withthe interior of an air-water separator 16 of suitable construction knownin the art. Supported on the air-water separator 16 is a motor-fan unit17 provided with a fan 18 disposed in a fan chamber 19 having an inlet20 communicating with the interior of the air-water separator 16 andhaving an outlet 21 for escape of air. A handle 22 is removably attachedto the support 15 and is provided with a switch 23 suitably connected tothe motor-fan unit 17 to control the latter. A pair of wheels 24 ismounted on the conduit 12 and cooperates with the bristles 11 to supportthe appliance in an inclined position on a surface 25 to be cleaned.Above the nozzle 10 is a platform 26 provided with a dispensing conduit27 having a funnel shaped inlet 28 at its upper end and its lower end29* is arranged rearwardly of the nozzle 10 for escape of cleandetergent solution onto the surface 25.

Arranged between the platform 26 and the lower peripheral edge 30 of theair-water separator 16 is a dual functional tank 31 and the latter isremovably attached to the air-water separator 16 by a pair of oppositelydisposed clamps 32. The tank 31 comprises an outer rigid receptacle 33and an interiorly disposed collapsible receptacle 34 made of waterimpervious material such as a flexible plastic. The rigid receptacle 33has an annular side wall 35, a top flange 36 defining an upper opening37 and a bottom wall 33. A skirt portion 39 of the side wall extendsbelow the bottom wall 38 and is provided with a marginal slot 40adjacent the conduit 12 to receive the funnel 28 as the tank is attachedto the appliance. The upper opening 37 in the receptacle 3 3communicates with the outlet 41 in the air-water separator 16 to receivethe dirty detergent solution removed from the surface being cleaned.

Projecting upwardly from the tank bottom wall 38 is a boss 42 to whichthe opening 43 of the collapsible receptacle 34 is secured by a suitablegarter spring 44. The bore 4-5 in the boss 42 is provided with a spiderconstruction comprising four spaced ribs 46 each having an uppervertical portion 47', an inclined portion 48 and a lower verticalportion 49. Mounted on the tank bottom wall 38 is a valve support 50having an opening 51 and a lug 52 which projects inwardly of the openingand is provided with a port 53 in which is slidably mounted the stem 54-of a valve 55 The valve 55 has a portion 56 which is adapted to engagethe vertical and inclined portions 47 and 48 respectively of the ribs46, and the stem 4 engages the lower portions 49 of the ribs 46 to guidethe valve 55 in its movements to opened and closed positions. The upperend of the valve 55 has a flange 58 which seats against a gasket 59attached to the boss 42 to close the opening 45 and prevent escape ofclean detergent solution from within the collapsible receptacle 34. Thevalve 55 is biased to closed position by a spring 60 which is arrangedbetween the lug 52 and a knurled knob 61. A pin 62 on the stem 54 isadapted to engage a ledge 63 on the valve support 50 to hold the valvein open position as shown in FIGURE 3.

The valve 55 is controlled by a lever 65 pivotally secured at 66 to theconduit 12 and has one lever arm 67 projecting through the marginal slot40 in the tank skirt 39 into engagement with the lower surface of theknurled knob 61. The lever arm 67 is provided with a substantiallyU-shaped offset portion 64 to bypass. the funnel 28. The opposite leverarm 68 abuts the lower end '69 of a rod 70 slidably mounted in spacedbrackets 71 attached to the conduit 12. A spring 72 is arranged betweenthe lower bracket 71 and a collar 73 secured to the rod 70 and at alltimes urges the rod upwardly to valve closed position to allow the valvespring 60 to move the valve 55 to closed position and pivot the lever 65in a counterclockwise direction.

The upper end of the rod '70 is offset to provide a handle 74 formanipulating the rod and is adapted to be seated in spaced recesses 75and 76 in a member 77 mounted on the conduit 12. When the handle 74 isin the upper recess 76 the valve spring 60 is free to move the valve 55to close position and when the handle is moved downwardly into the lowerrecess 75- against the force of the rod spring 72 the lever 65 ispivoted clockwise to move the valve 55 to its open position shown inFIGURE 2.

In operation, the bag 34 is first filled with a clean detergent solutionby releasing the tank clamps 32 to re-. move the tank from theappliance. The tank 31 is upended and the operator depresses the knob 61and rotates the latter to position the pin 62 against the ledge 63 tohold the valve 55 in opened filling position as shown in FIGURE 3. Cleandetergent solution is then poured through the opening 51 and the valveport 45 until the bag 34 is filled and thereafter the knob 61 is rotatedto engage the pin 62 from the ledge 63 and the valve spring 60 moves thevalve flange 58 into sealing engagement with the gasket 59. The tank 31is then replaced on the appliance and the clamps 32 locked to secure theupper 3 flange 36 of the tank into water tight engagement with adefining edge 38 of the air-water separator 16.

When the tank 31 is reattached to the appliance, the bag 34 beingflexible and fully charged with clean detergent solution settles to thelower portion of the rigid receptacle as shown in dotted lines 78 inFIGURE 2 and provides a vacant space 79 thereabove for collection ofdirty detergent solution discharged from the opening 41 in the air-waterseparator 16.

The valve operating handle 74 is removed from the upper recess 76 andmoved downwardly into the lower recess 75. During such downward movementof the rod 70 the lower end 69 engages the lever arm 68 and rotates thelever 65 clockwise causing the lever arm 67 to engage the knob 61 andmove the valve stem 54 upwardly to lift the valve flange 58 out ofengagement with the gasket 59 to uncover the port 45, as shown in FIGURE2, for escape of clean liquid detergent solution. The detergent solutiondrops into the funnel 23 and flows through the dispensing tube 27 ontothe surface 25 rearwardly of the nozzle 10.

The nozzle is then reciprocated along the surface 25 and the bristles 11distribute the clean detergent Solution which loosens the dirt from thesurface 25 and becomes a dirty detergent solution. When the scrubbingoperation is completed the valve rod 78 is shifted upwardly to seat thehandle 74 in the upper recess 76 and permit the valve 55 to close underthe bias of the spring 60 whereby flow of clean detergent solutionthrough the valve port 45 will cease.

The dirty detergent solution is removed from the surface 25 by closingthe switch 23 to energize the motorfan unit 18 and provide suction inthe nozzle 10. The nozzle 10 is then moved across the previouslyscrubbed surface 25 and the suction draws the dirty detergent solutionupwardly through the nozzle 10 and conduit 12 into the separator 16where the dirty detergent solution will be separated from the air streamand the clean air will be drawn into the fan chamber inlet 20 anddischarged through the exhaust opening 21. The separated dirty detergentsolution falls through the separator outlet 41 and the top opening 37 ofthe rigid receptacle 33 into the latter and settles in the space 79around and above the bag 34.

As the clean detergent solution is dispensed from the bag 34 the upperwall portion of the latter will collapse and fall from its originalposition 78 to an assumed lower position similar to that shown at 80 inFIGURE 2, and the dirty detergent solution removed from the surface willbe deposited through the separator opening 41 into the rigid receptacle33 and fill the space between 78 and 80 previously occupied by the bag34-. The collapsible bag 34 is shown smaller than the rigid receptacle33. However, in actual practice the relative dimensions are such thatthe capacity of the bag 34 for the clean detergent solution issubstantially that of the rigid receptacle 33 so that the latteraccumulates and stores all the dirty detergent solution at the end ofthe scrubbing operation.

In order to empty the rigid receptacle 33 the tank 31 is removed fromthe appliance and upended whereby the dirty detergent solution flows outof the top opening 37 of the rigid receptacle. At this time the bag 34may be refilled with clean detergent solution by depressing the valve 55to uncover the port 45 in the same manner previously described, andthereafter the tank 31 is reattached to the appliance by means of theclamps 32.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, itis to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrativeonly and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to theparticular structure shown and described but to include all equivalentvariations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A surface scrubbing appliance comprising: a body having a nozzle forscrubbing a surface, means for dispensing a clean liquid onto thesurface, a tank removably attached to said body and including an outerrigid receptacle for collecting dirty liquid removed from the surfaceand a collapsible receptacle having an open end within said rigidreceptacle for storing a clean liquid, conduit means connected with saidnozzle and terminating in a fixed outlet adjacent the upper end of saidrigid collecting receptacle for conveying dirty liquid from said nozzleto said outlet, means defining a collecting and emptying opening at theupper end of said rigid receptacle and removably connected with saidfixed conduit means outlet for entrance of dirty liquid from saidconduit means into said rigid receptacle and said upper openingproviding for passage of the dirty liquid from said rigid receptacle toempty the latter when said tank is disconnected from said conduit meansoutlet by removal from said body and is upended, means defining anopening at the lower end of said tank communicating with said dispensingmeans, and means securing the open end of said collapsible receptacle tosaid opening in the lower end of said tank and in fluid flowrelationship thereto for passage of clean liquid through said loweropening to said dispensing means.

2. A surface scrubbing appliance according to claim 1, and valve meansoperable to uncover said tank lower opening for pouring clean liquidinto said collapsible receptacle to refill the latter when said tank isremoved from said body and is upended.

3. A surface scrubbing appliance according to claim 1, and valve meansfor controlling flow of clean liquid from said collapsible receptaclethrough said tank lower opening to said dispensing means and foruncovering said tank lower opening to pour clean liquid into saidcollapsible receptacle to refill the latter upon upending said tank whendetached from said body.

4. A surface scrubbing appliance according to claim 1, and valve meansmounted on said tank for controlling flow of clean liquid from saidcollapsible receptacle through said tank lower opening to saiddispensing means, and said valve means removable with said tank andoperable when said tank is upended to uncover said tank lower openingfor pouring clean liquid into said collapsible receptacle to refill thelatter.

5. A combined floor scrubber and floor drying appliance comprising, asuction floor nozzle constructed for scrubbing the floor and for pickingup dirty water therefrom, a suction tube connected to said nozzle, acombined detergent dispensing and dirty water collecting tank removablysupported on said appliance above said nozzle, a detergent dispensingconnection formed in the lower end of said tank, an open ended flexiblebag within said tank for storing detergent, means securing said open endof said flexible bag to said dispensing connection and in fluid flowrelationship to said dispensing connection to conduct detergent thereto,and a water separator in said suction tube and connected in liquid flowrelationship to the upper end of said tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,390,176 Struve Sept. 6, 1921 1,687,283 Deutscher Oct. 9, 19281,849,663 Finnell Mar. 15, 1932 1,892,347 Jerome Dec. 27, 1932 1,910,727Walter May 23, 1933 1,979,797 Finnell Nov. 6, 1934 2,394,415 Wilkinsonet al Feb. 5, 1946 2,554,570 Harvey May 29, 1951 2,798,639 Urban July 9,1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 67,806 Denmark Oct. 4, 1948

